Thinking about all the reasons we have for praising our LORD.

Face To Face

Human beings are considered the most intelligent in God’s creation. People have used their intelligence to gather information about the things in space, to overcome certain physical ailments, to communicate with others around the world, to travel with speed, etc. But, because our intelligence is limited, we are limited. Even today, more is unknown to us than is known. More is far beyond our limits than within our limitations.

1 Corinthians 13 describes the wonders of a godly love, and then says in verses 8-13,

Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.

For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.

When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.

But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

When Paul refers to gifts of “prophecy”, “tongues”, and “knowledge”, he readily points out that they will all “be done away”. No matter how much a person feels they are spiritually gifted with prophecy (the ability to preach correctly) — tongues or biblical knowledge, it’s all like nothing. We’re all like children. Our ability to talk about God is far more limited than we imagine because there is so much about God that we simply don’t know. Those who imagine that they have a lot of head knowledge about God will all fall down in total worship when they see God’s glory and realize their knowledge was less than a drop of water in a huge bucket.

Like Paul, we all need to grow up and realize that God Almighty is so much more than any human is capable of grasping. We have the Bible, and that gives us as much information as any human is able to grasp, so Paul says, “For now we see in a mirror dimly”. God’s glorious power and love can only be seen “dimly” in the Bible — even though we think we are seeing a lot. When we finally get to heaven, we will see God our Savior “face to face”. Then our “partial will be done away”. Then we will fully know “love”.

Whatever gifts and knowledge we have in this world are nothing compared to the reality of seeing God “face to face”. That’s when we will realize that the eternal, lasting things we should strive for are “faith, hope, love”. And, “the greatest of these is love”.

Growing in the love of God, we say, “Hallelujah! Lord, thank You patiently leading us home to You, where we will see you “face to face”.